Stuck on You
by Mysti Queen
Summary: Set during the Android/Cell Saga. Charisma is a girl from the future who, without realizing it, was accidentally sent back in time about 20 years. She's now stuck in the past with no way to return to her home. When a mysterious young man arrives, he becomes her only hope and their own story of connection unravels among the chaos. Rewritten. Mirai TrunksxOC R&R please!
1. Circumstance

_Author's Note:_ Hello everyone! Thank you for clicking in this humble little story of mine (: It's been 5 years since I first began writing this story, about 4 since I completed it. Well let me just say that this story SUCKED. And I'm being kind!

This was my second full length fanfic and my first fanfic in the DBZ category. It was based on ideas that I'd had as a child watching DBZ and even though I tried to get some of the worse of my ideas to make sense, I think this fanfic still fell short. Very short. I focused too much on the DBZ story itself more than my own story and that's not what I want to do.

I thought this fanfic was awesome…back then. Now I bow my head in shame! I've improved much since then I'm going to restart this fanfic fresh with new ideas that have come to me due to me writing "Charms of Sweetness." I'm glad that I did!

I've changed many things, as you'll see here if you've read the old story. I've made it so that it ties in better with Charms of Sweetness in terms of the continuity, which gets a bit tricky. And also more insights into Future Charisma and hopefully better development for her.

So I hope you enjoy it! If you have any ideas, thoughts, comments, suggests, etc that might help me make this a better story, feel free to let me know! I'm also still continuing to work on CoS (even though it's been months since I last touched it!) so I'm sorry if my progress with this is slow.

Anyway, enough rambling. I hope you like it! Thanks for reading (: Now it's time for that pesky disclaimer~

I do not own DBZ or any of it's characters, but I do own Charisma and the bits and pieces of my story that weave into this one. But I bet you already knew that, right? (;

Chapter 1:

Circumstance

Mino stepped into the bright and roomy house that sat on the corner, his footsteps on the dark hardwood floors echoing. There were boxes around that still needed to be unpacked, but the furniture had already been moved in. He looked back out the door to see his wife, Kaylei, and the warm bundle of pink blanket in her arms that nestled a blonde little baby girl.

Kaylei sighed as she saw the living room. "Wow, it's so big," she said softly. "This is definitely a big change from our old place."

Mino smiled at her and put an arm around her shoulder. "It's really big, but it's perfect for our family. I'm sure once Charisma is grown, she'll need plenty of space to run around."

Kaylei grinned and looked down at her baby, the girl's blue eyes hazy with sleep. "I'm looking forward to it," she said.

"Let's go visit our new neighbors," Mino told her. "My new boss lives right across the street and has been looking forward to meeting you."

"That'll be nice," Kaylei agreed.

The young family of three ventured across the street to the large Capsule Corp building. After knocking on the door, a blue haired young woman answered it.

"Oh, Mino, glad to see you decided to stop by and visit me," she said excitedly. "Oh, and that must be your wife, am I right?"

"Nice to meet you," Kaylei greeted sweetly with a slight nod.

"…And this is our daughter, Charisma," he explained.

"It's nice to meet all of you," Bulma said. "And she's such a cute little girl. I have a little baby boy that's about her age."

"Really? How nice," Kaylei replied. "This is such a busy looking neighborhood, with the Capsule Corporation around and all."

"You'll get used to it," said Bulma with a grin. "It's really nice over here. You're from South City, aren't you? It shouldn't be too different."

"Right," Kaylei responded. "Oh, it's time to put Charisma to bed. She's get awfully cranky if I'm not on schedule."

Bulma laughed and nodded. "I hear you there. It was nice to meet you, Kaylei."

"You, too, Ms. Brief," replied Kaylei with a bow.

Bulma waved her hand. "Hey, no need for formalities! Just call me Bulma."

"Right," Kaylei agreed with a smile. "Goodbye for now, Bulma." Mino and Bulma watched as Kaylei made her way across the street and into the house.

"So are you done moving everything yet?" Bulma asked. "Your new office and everything is all set for you when you come in to work on Monday."

"Yes, we're just about settled in by now," he replied. "I'm really looking forward to working at Capsule Corporation, Bulma. It's quite an honor. I can't thank you and your father enough for accepting me."

"Don't thank us," she said nicely. "You're really talented. My father and I were really impressed by your skills. You'll fit in perfectly with our team."

Within a few weeks, Mino had settled into his job nicely. Kaylei remained at home caring for their baby and taking care of needs around the house. Everything seemed to be moving forward smoothly as they would expect.

The peace of the life they hoped to live was suddenly and unexpectedly shattered at the first report of an unforeseen attack.

"This can't be happening!" Bulma cried in complete distress. Mino had come over after work with Kaylei to find Bulma utterly inconsolable. Bulma's parents were trying desperately to calm her down and keep her from fainting.

"All your friends are gone?" Kaylei repeated sadly, unsure of what to say. "That's terrible. How did this happen?"

"We don't know what's going on," Mr. Brief explained. "No one knows what's happening, but all we know is that it doesn't look good. Not at all."

Mino placed his hand on Kaylei's shoulder and she turned to look at him. "I think we should go now. We should let them have their privacy." Kaylei agreed and they departed.

"What are we going to do?" she asked with worry clear on her face. "It's like an all out war is suddenly breaking out."

Mino sighed as they entered their house. He scratched the back of his head. "We'll get through it. It'll only be a matter of time before this is all sorted out, so don't worry."

Any glimmer of hope that remained in their hearts soon disappeared. Weeks turned into months, and months into years. Still, these machines, the Androids as they were named, managed to turn a peaceful and beautiful world into a nightmare of destruction. Living anywhere in any given region was a constant danger, even venturing out to buy food.

Charisma, nonetheless, grew into a lively 5 year old child, sheltered from most of this negativity by her parents. But there was only so much they could hide, as even Mino, now looking gaunter than a man his age should look, tried his best to find a solution.

Mino's visits to Bulma's place were constant as they discussed ways to try and disable these androids. Charisma spent many of her afternoons playing with Bulma's 5 year old son, Trunks. On this day, the two young children chased their cares away by running after each other in the house.

"You're really slow!" Trunks teased as Charisma struggled to catch up to him.

"You're really mean!" she grumbled. Trunks stopped abruptly once they neared the front door, causing Charisma to bump into his back. She looked over to see Bulma standing at the door and a tall, dark haired teen entered the house.

"Look who's here," Bulma announced happily. "Gohan, how have you been?"

"Gohan!" Trunks and Charisma both said happily as they looked at each other. They quickly ran over to greet the older half-Saiyan boy, now in his mid teens.

"Hey, it's good to see you," he said happily as he patted both of their heads. "Have you two been good?"

The children both nodded their heads in unison.

"We've been training really hard," Trunks explained.

"I'm still not fast enough to catch him, though," Charisma pouted and crossed her arms.

Gohan laughed heartily at her expression and carefully set the two children down. "Well hey, all you need is more practice. We'll continue our training later, all right?"

"All right!" Charisma and Trunks said happily and ran off together to another part of the house. Gohan smiled at them and began heading towards the living area where Bulma and Kaylei were residing.

"I'm still surprised you're actually letting Charisma train," Bulma mentioned as she walked towards a small desk and sat to continue what she was doing.

"I didn't want to at first," Kaylei admitted but smiled at Gohan as he took a seat beside her. "But Charisma doesn't have much chance to run around or exercise or anything with everything that's going on. I think it'll do her some good. Besides, you're such a good teacher, Gohan."

Gohan blushed and scratched the back of his head coyly. "You really think so?"

"Of course!" Bulma agreed and turned back to smile at him. "It's so nice of you to take time to train with them. I know things for you have been tough."

"Yeah…" Gohan sighed. "Trunks has a lot of potential…and even Charisma does, too. I know she enjoys it. Say, where's Mino? I haven't seen him when I come around, lately."

Kaylei took a deep breath and shook her head. "I don't even really know, to be honest. He hasn't said anything to me. I don't see him too often. He just takes off and I try to warn him about the dangers of running around with the Androids somewhere."

Bulma's eyes traveled to the ceiling thoughtfully. "Yeah…that is strange. I wonder what he's up to…"

Gohan searched the house for the two children with the intention of starting their sparing session. He entered another room on the ground floor to find Charisma forcing Trunks to play 'dollies' with her.

"This one is a popular singer that everyone loves," Charisma explained enthusiastically as she held her blonde doll out towards him. "And that one you have is jealous of her."

Trunks looked unimpressed as Charisma pointed at the redheaded doll in his hand. Gohan suppressed a chuckle and entered the room. "Hey, what are you up to?"

Trunks looked up to see Gohan and immediately tossed the doll behind him in shame. Charisma squealed and ran after it.

"Hey, be careful, Trunks!" she cried as she hurried to take a seat beside him again.

Gohan smiled down at them. "Hey, are you two ready to begin training?"

"I sure am!" Trunks exclaimed, standing up as fast as he could. Charisma pouted slightly but stood up as well and smiled up at Gohan.

"I am, too, Gohan," she said.

"Great, then let's go outside," Gohan announced as he began leading the children outdoors. "We've got a lot of training to do."

The sparring session was the same as always. Gohan focused on teaching Charisma how to concentrate her power and watching carefully as she practiced her flying.

"I don't get to fly that much, Gohan," she said as she fluttered about unsteadily. "Mom doesn't let me even though I like it."

"I know, but you're really improving each time I see you," he said softly. "It's too dangerous for you to fly around by yourself. Someday, you'll be able to put it to good use. I promise."

Charisma grinned innocently and wrapped her small arms around his neck as she landed on his back. "I'm glad you're my teacher, Gohan."

Gohan chuckled up at her. "I'm glad to have such an obedient student!"

Trunks sat at the other end of the yard watching with a bored expression. Gohan could only teach Charisma so much and Trunks was always way ahead of her when it came to his power and his skill. They were on completely different levels and Gohan could never really train them together on the same subjects. Trunks was about to say something when Kaylei's voice rang through the air.

"Charisma!" the blonde woman said as emerged from the Capsule Corp house. "It's time for us to go home. It's getting late, dear."

"Hey, Kaylei," Gohan greeted her and carried Charisma over to her.

"Hello, Gohan," she replied sweetly and grabbed Charisma. "How's my girl behaving?"

"Like an angel, as always," he replied. "Did you have fun?" he asked the girl as Kaylei set her down.

Charisma nodded up at him and was almost unable to contain the smile on her face. "Yeah! Of course! We'll play again next time, right?"

Gohan smiled down at her and patted her blonde head. "Sure!"

"Thank you, Gohan," Kaylei said as she turned to leave. "Be safe."

"You, too," he replied and watched as Kaylei walked off. Charisma kept her eyes on Gohan and continued waving at him until she faded from sight.

Gohan turned to see a grumpy look on Trunks' face and grinned. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"Nothing. I'm just glad we can begin our actual training again."

Gohan's grin grew toothier. "You're upset because Charisma forgot to say goodbye to you, aren't you?"

Trunks blushed uncontrollably. "No! That's not it at all!"

Gohan let out a hearty laugh and patted Trunks on his little back. "All right, calm down. I believe you. Now, let's start again from where we left off yesterday."

Mino entered the house shortly before midnight. Charisma had already been put to bed and Kaylei appeared to be asleep on the couch. he sighed softly and began trudging his way towards his lab in the basement.

"Where have you been?" Kaylei's voice suddenly rang and nearly scared him out of his shoes.

"Oh, sorry I'm late, dear," he said. "I've been working."

Kaylei stood up and looked at him. "Working? What kind of work can you do at a time like this?"

"…we've got a plan…" he explained. "…some of the other citizens of West City and former Capsule Corp workers, I mean…" Mino walked over to Kaylei and took her hand. "We're working hard to find a way to get out of this mess. The only way for us to be safe from the Androids is to hide out underground, so we're building a bunker in a secret location."

"A bunker?"

"Yes," he elaborated. "Other cities have done it as well and they're working on one now as we speak for us. Resources are difficult to find at a time like this, but we'll be done with it soon, I hope."

Kaylei sighed and took a seat on the couch. "The only thing we can do is run and hide…"

"Unfortunately for now, that's all we can do…" Mino put a hand on her shoulder and nodded at her. "But I promise. In due time, we'll find a way to disable those Androids. Bulma and I have been working tirelessly to figure something out. It won't be long now."

The thought of surviving long enough for the bunker to be built and long enough for the Androids to be destroyed was a heavy burden. Not just for this small family, but for everyone trying to find a way to live in this chaos. Kaylei wiped sweat from her forehead and stood up. "I hope so…"


	2. Desolation

_Author's Note: _Hello everyone (one person reading this?)! I hope you're enjoying the story so far. It's not much yet but I promise it will get better within the next chapter or so. I've got a lot of new ideas for this story and I've been working really hard on it so I hope you like it. I've already got a few chapters finished and ready to go so feel free to let me know if you like it or not.

This next chapter might seem a little choppy and I apologize. I guess this is sort of a prologue continued from chapter 1. I will give some insight into what Trunks and Charisma's lives were like as children together. I hope it makes sense. Enjoy~

_Chapter 2:_

_Desolation_

The afternoon was rather peaceful. Bulma preferred to have the television and the radio off. The sound of such despair from the news reports of the latest attacks was almost unbearable. Instead, she contented herself to spending time in her lab, steadily working at trying to find a way to stop the androids in the only way she knew how.

Charisma had spent the night over in her house. Charisma was currently up with Trunks in a large empty room, rough housing with him. Bulma feared letting them outside to play so figured a room within the house would be safer. The house itself seemed livelier with a seven and eight year old around and she enjoyed the company. She was certain Trunks enjoyed it, too.

Charisma fell flat on her bottom with a loud 'thump' and screamed. "HOLD ON!" She pouted and crossed her arms. "You're being a little tough on me, don't you think?"

Trunks wiped a trail of sweat from his forehead. "No, you're just being weak." He watched as Charisma's pout became more pronounced and he laughed. "Sorry! But it's true. You need to toughen up a little bit more. You'll never stand a chance against the androids like this."

Charisma nodded her head and her pout turned into a low hanging frown. "…I know…I wish I was strong enough to train more with you and Gohan…"

Trunks scratched the back of his head, not sure what to say. "Well…someday you will be. That's why I'm training you myself."

Now that Trunks was becoming older, Gohan seemed to be spending more time training him than he was with Charisma. He still would train with her on occasion but for much less time than before. It didn't take too long before Charisma began realizing this.

"…You're a good teacher," Charisma smiled, causing him to suddenly blush. She stood up on her feet and dusted herself off. "Let's keep going!"

Trunks shook his head. "I think it's better for us to rest now. You seem tired."

"I'm not tired…" Charisma said, yawning. She caught herself and quickly covered her mouth.

"I'm not buying it…" Trunks said with a grin. "Let's go find something else to do."

Charisma nodded and followed him along as they went into another part of the house. "What do you think we should do now then?"

Trunks hesitated before speaking. "…do you want to go outside?"

Charisma gasped and shook her head furiously. "You know we're not allowed to, Trunks. What if we get in trouble?"

"Being outside for a just a second won't hurt," he said. "Aren't you tired of being locked up indoors all the time?"

Charisma's eyes fell to the ground. "Of course, but it's dangerous…"

"Don't worry about that," Trunks said and grabbed her by the shoulders. "I'll protect you if that's what you're worried about."

Charisma couldn't help but grin and let herself be steered carefully and quietly out the backdoor. The view of the city was deplorable. The few buildings that stood were dilapidated with their windows missing or broken. There wasn't much grass or trees or flowers anywhere. The world was nothing more than an apocalyptic wasteland.

The two children were used to this kind of world, however. They remained close to the door, propped up against the wall on the small patch of grass that somehow still existed there. The soft breeze that passed and blew through their faces and hair was comforting.

"When the androids are gone, we'll be able to go to school, right?" Charisma asked. "And we'll be able to make more friends…"

"We'll be able to ride all the roller coasters in Dreamland," Trunks added.

"And we'll go to the zoo and see a lot of animals," Charisma replied.

"I'll be able to drive my own car," Trunks said. "I'll give you a ride to the zoo and then we can go ride the roller coasters I'm talking about."

"Yeah," Charisma responded, her eyes full of hope. "And when we come back home, I'll a garden with a lot pretty flowers and bright colors. We'll be free as birds to go where ever we want! Wouldn't that be great?"

"Yeah, definitely," Trunks responded with a smile.

Silence fell upon both of them as they stared out at the distance. Even being just children, they knew those dreams might not ever come true.

"…Are we really going to destroy the androids someday?" Charisma asked.

"Of course we will," Trunks responded confidently. "I know Gohan can do it. And I'll be there to help him."

Charisma looked over at him and pointed a finger to herself. "And what about me?"

Trunks hesitated for a moment but looked at her and smiled. "You'll be there to help us, right?"

Charisma nodded. "Of course! I know the three of us together can do it!" She looked up at the sky. "If there's anyone in this world that can defeat those androids…" Charisma looked up at him and smiled. "…it's definitely you!"

Trunks' eyes widened and he blushed at her. He wasn't sure why such simple words caused him to feel so embarrassed.

"And when that happens, we'll be able to go outside whenever we want to. We'll be able to go to school and make friends and maybe someday I'll get a boyfriend…" Trunks winced. "I can't wait for that day."

Sighing, Trunks looked out into the distance again. "Me either."

"We'll be there to see the future world together, Trunks," she said sweetly. Trunks' little cheeks turned red and he coughed awkwardly. He flinched a little when he felt Charisma's little hand grab onto his.

"…Y-yeah…"

Before any one of them could say another word, Bulma's voice echoed throughout the house. "Kids?! Where are you? It's time to eat!"

Charisma and Trunks exchanged a glance and hurried onto their feet to race inside before Bulma could notice that they'd gone.

"There you are," she said with a smile as she found Charisma and Trunks innocently playing with Charisma's dolls in his bedroom. "It's time for dinner and then we've got to clean up and get ready for bed."

Charisma awoke the next morning to the sound of her father's voice down the hall in the main room. Her small blue eyes fluttered at the feeling of the sunlight stinging them from the window. Letting out hearty yawn, she sat up in bed and stretched her arms above her head. She glanced momentarily at Trunks who slept beside her, drooling and snoring loudly.

Charisma covered her mouth to suppress a giggle and began making her way off of the bed. The floor was cold against her bare feet and she stumbled quietly over to the door and opened it carefully.

"Time machine?" she heard her father's voice.

"Yes, that's what I've been working on," Bulma replied. Charisma stood against the wall of the hallway to hear their conversation. "I know it sounds crazy, but I think I'm finally getting closer to figuring out a way to travel back into the past and find a way to disable the Androids."

Mino chuckled and shook his head. "It's a long shot, for sure. I don't know what good that would do us, anyway. Don't you think it's more important to put your efforts on something that will actually make a difference?"

"What else could I possibly do? Without knowing the base of their designs, I can't even begin to find a way to disable their systems any other way."

"I know," he replied with a sigh. "But I've been working on building that bunker. It might not be a solution, but it will help many people survive until we can come up with a way out."

"The bunker is definitely a good idea," Bulma agreed. "But trust me, I feel it in my heart that this time machine can make a difference. But it could be years before I even come close to completing it on my own. That's why I'm asking you to please help me."

"Bulma," he said softly. "You're an extremely intelligent person, and I'm honored that you're asking for my help. I don't mind helping you at all. But I can't waste my time or resources on something that I don't believe will work."

The room fell silent for a long moment. Charisma frowned and began slinking her way back to the bedroom.

"…I understand," Bulma finally said. "I know it's crazy but I'm going to keep working on it. You'll see."

Despite the fact that she was forced to remain alone in her work, Bulma became even more determined to finish her time machine. It had been years since she'd started, but even now she was still far from being finished. Bulma didn't reveal her ideas to anyone else, even to Gohan as he came to visit often to spar with Trunks and Charisma.

Gohan's training with the children intensified as time went by, especially with Trunks.

"He has a lot of potential," Gohan told Bulma one day. "It's incredible that someone at his age could have so much power."

"Well…he is Vegeta's son after all," she replied, her voice tinged with a mix of pride and sadness.

Gohan trained with Charisma as well as she was beginning to show her own potential. Being only a human child, however, her power was far behind Trunks' and Gohan could only show her so much. Charisma learned how to fly, although she had few chances to do so. He also taught her how to fire ki blasts, but she had a hard time controlling them and couldn't seem to take hold of her own power.

"I know I'm just a girl," Charisma told him during one of their training matches. "I'm not a Saiyan like you or Trunks. But I want to be able to fight, too! I want to help you guys fight those androids…"

"I know, Charisma," Gohan said softly. "But the best thing you can do for us is stay safe and support us, no matter what. Even if we can't take you into battle with us…please stay behind and cheer for us, all right?"

Charisma pouted but nodded her head. "Of course!"

Charisma, although young, knew that Gohan wasn't training her with the same fervor as he'd been training Trunks with. But she never really understood the implications of being a Saiyan compared to being a mere human. She never understood that no matter what, she'd never be able to catch up to Trunks, not even in her dreams. But she wanted to be her best.

Even though he was a child, Trunks was serious when it came to completing his training with Gohan. Even at his age, Gohan was already trying to teach him to tap into his inner power and become a Super Saiyan. The notion of a child reaching the Super Saiyan level was insane at best, but Gohan put his complete hope on the shoulders of this boy.

After an intense training session, Gohan and Trunks sat outside on a peaceful mountain side, listening to the sounds of the creek that ran nearby.

"I don't know if can do it," Trunks said, wiping sweat from his forehead. "What if I'm still not strong enough? I'm only a kid…there's no way I can be as strong as you, Gohan."

"Stop thinking like that," Gohan scolded him. "Once you lose hope in yourself, it's all over."

Trunks frowned deeply.

"Tell me, what do you want the most?" Gohan asked him.

"Me?"

"Yeah…what do you want? What do you want most in this world?"

Trunks stared forward silently as he thought about the question. "…I want to rid the world of the Androids…"

"Why do you want that?"

"Why?" he replied, as if it was the dumbest question ever. "Because if I do that then Mom will be happy. We won't live in fear anymore…"

Trunks thought back to Charisma's smiling face. _'If anyone can beat those androids," _her voice echoed. _"It's definitely you!' _

Trunks shut his eyes. "And…I want to make a world where…Charisma can smile…"

Gohan stared down at him with a huge toothy smile. Trunks looked up at him and realized what he'd said. "Ugh… don't tell anyone I said that!" he mumbled as he blushed harshly.

Gohan laughed heartily, causing Trunks' cheeks to burn even brighter.

"Don't worry…" Gohan finally replied. "…just remember that when you're fighting the Androids, all right?"

Times of smiles and joy seemed far and few in between. The constant fear of the androids and the loneliness that each person felt kept everyone's smiles from being their brightest. Despite this, Charisma and Trunks found comfort and joy in each other, and if nothing else, in each other.

Charisma, once again, spent the night over at Trunks' house on a cool autumn day. Kaylei and Mino were becoming more reluctant to letting her go very often, as the android attacks seem to be happening more frequently lately. Today was her birthday, however, and they could see clearly in her eyes the love she had for Trunks and Bulma. Allowing her time to spend with her best friend on her special day would be the best gift they could give her, seeing as they couldn't give her anything else.

Bulma made sure to celebrate the day with as much food and fun as possible, even if the house was only filled with the children and herself. Mino had once again disappeared and Kaylei was feeling under the weather.

Bulma didn't mind watching after Charisma at all, either. The little girl had found a way into her heart like a daughter she'd never had.

Charisma cheered as Bulma placed a yummy looking strawberry cake on the table. The trio had finished eating their dinner and was eager for the dessert.

"I've smelled this cake all day," Trunks said with his mouth watering. "I can't wait to actually taste it!"

"It looks so pretty," Charisma said happily. "I love strawberries, too!"

"Wait!" Bulma said, interrupting them and causing their smiles to disappear. "Before we eat the cake, I want Charisma to open her gift…"

"Gift?" Charisma's eyes glossed over with anticipation. "You got me a gift?"

"Trunks did," Bulma grinned smoothly and pointed at him.

Charisma tossed a look at him and he could barely look back at her. His eyes darted around the room.

'Stop looking at me like that,' he thought as his expression became especially flustered.

"Hey…" he finally stammered. "H-hold out your hand and close your eyes…"

Charisma grinned and was giddy with excitement but she obeyed. "It's cold…" she giggled when she felt Trunks place something in there. Slowly opening her eyes, Charisma noticed a gleam in her hand. "A bracelet!" she exclaimed. "It's so pretty!"

"It's actually a charm bracelet," Bulma said, grabbing on to it and placing it on Charisma's small wrist. "It's a little big on you now, so you have to be careful with it. But you'll keep growing and it'll fit you right when you grow older."

"Is that a strawberry?" Charisma asked, touching the small and only charm on the bracelet.

"Yes it is," Bulma replied. "Trunks picked it out especially for you…"

Trunks lowered his head.

Charisma's smile could barely fit on her face. "How cool…" she cooed. "Thanks a lot, Aunt Bulma!" Charisma jumped off her seat and went over to hug Bulma. "And you, too, of course, Trunks…" Charisma went over to him and wrapped her arms tightly around him.

"…you're welcome…" he mumbled, completely embarrassed.

Bulma chuckled and began snapping pictures with her camera. "Happy birthday, Charisma!"

Even though their parents tried to shelter them as much as possible, the harsh reality of the gloomy life they lived was starting to become more apparent to the children. Trunks spent more time alone as Bulma spent more time working on her time machine. His only company would be Gohan and Charisma, but even her visits slowly became far and few in between.

Charisma and Kaylei were seeing less of Mino as time went by. He would disappear for days at a time and not even say to where he was going. Until one day, after having been disappeared for more than a week, he showed up in the house.

Noting Charisma and Kaylei's sad but relieved expressions, he exclaimed, "Everything is going to be okay, my girls."

"What are you talking about?" Kaylei replied feeling agitated. "Why do you keep disappearing?"

"I've been working very hard and finally everything is set," he replied calmly. Kaylei looked at him with confusion. "We're moving as soon as possible."

Charisma gasped. "M-moving?"

"Yes. We'll be safer where we're going, so you don't have to worry about the Androids anymore."

"What does he mean? Moving?" Charisma turned to her mother.

Everything that happened next was like a blur. Mino and Kaylei brought out a few suitcases and loaded them up with clothing and supplies. The furniture remained in the house, however, as well as most of the ornaments that hung on the dingy walls.

"…I don't like this…" Charisma said to herself as she watched them scurrying frantically around the house.

The following day, Mino took his family over to the Brief house to give them the news before departing.

"You're moving?!" Bulma exclaimed. "Already? This is so sudden!"

"I know, but it's what's best," Mino said. "Please…please come and join us. Pack up and take Trunks and we'll all live safely in the bunker. It's all we can do for now…"

Bulma's eyes travelled from Mino, to Kaylei, and to Charisma's sad expression and curled lips. Her heart sank but she shook her head and politely refused.

"I'm glad that you were able to succeed," she said gently. "And you'll save a lot of lives this way. But I want to keep working on my time machine. I know it sounds crazy, but I believe in this with all my heart. I have to keep working on it. The solution is nearby."

"But that's crazy!" Kaylei protested. "You'll be safer where we're going! What about Trunks?"

"We'll be fine, trust me," Bulma reassured her. "This is important to me. And I don't want to leave my house. It's falling apart, but it's my home. All of my father's greatest inventions are still here. I can't just leave them behind…"

Mino and Kaylei looked at each other and shared the same dismal expression.

"Please take care of yourselves," Mino finally said. "You're welcome to join us if you change your mind…"

"Thank you," Bulma said. She walked up to Charisma and patted her on her head. "Be good to your parents, all right? Keep an eye out for her father, too, so he doesn't keep disappearing."

Charisma's eyes filled with tears and she squeezed tightly at the teddy bear in her arms. "I don't want to leave you, Aunt Bulma. Why won't you come with us?"

"I'll join you guys someday," Bulma replied with a sigh. "I promise, all right? Once the Androids are gone…it won't be long now."

Trunks had been sleeping when the sound of loud voice awoke him. He hazily stumbled into the hallway and down towards the main room.

"What's going on?" he asked as he appeared at the doorway and rubbed his eyes.

Charisma ran up to him and hugged him, nearly knocking him over. "Trunks…good bye…" she cried.

Trunks' eyes opened wide. He didn't know what to say. He didn't even know what was going on. "…goodbye?"

The adults watched quietly as they stood together, still in an embrace, for a few minutes before Kaylei carefully stepped up. No one in the room wanted to break them apart. They knew this would be harder on the children than on anyone else. They'd been best friends since they were babies. Trunks was Charisma's only real friend and Trunks had taken to heart the job of protecting Charisma like a brother would and always being there for her. Now, this harsh and nightmarish world was tearing them apart.

"We have to go now, Charisma," she said gently. "Trunks…take care of your mother, okay?"

Trunks looked up at her and nodded as Kaylei pried Charisma off of him. Charisma's sobs became louder and rang through his ears and her face, soaked in more tears than he'd ever seen, hurt him more than he understood. But he still didn't know just what was happening.

He could only watch helplessly as Charisma left the house, clutching on to her mother's hand and her teddy bear, waving goodbye to him all the while until she disappeared out the door.

He would never forget it.

Bulma let out a sad sigh and looked over at Trunks. He stood there in shock and confusion. She felt her heart break more and walked over.

"…what happened, Mom?" he asked.

"They're moving somewhere safer," Bulma gently explained and ran her fingers through his hair affectionately. "They're going to be okay. Charisma's going to be safe from the androids now."

Trunks sighed and looked up at his mother. "…are we going to see them again? Will Charisma come back to visit us again?"

Bulma looked up at and at the door. "Someday…when the androids are gone…"


	3. Accident

_Author's Note: _Thank you all for reading! I hope you're liking it so far. It's a little fast paced for now, but it'll slow down a bit within the next few chapters. I hope you'll like it and I hope it makes enough sense. Enjoy! Please review at the end (:

_Chapter 3:_

_Accident_

Adjusting to life in the bunker wasn't easy at all. Charisma was confined to being inside at all absolutely all times. After all, there wasn't anything to do outside in the world. The only option left for the survivors of the android's attacks was to continue surviving. The isolation was almost enough to drive her to the point of insanity. She missed being able to go outside if even only for a few seconds. She missed being able to train with Gohan. She missed Bulma's yummy cooking. And she missed just being with her best friend, Trunks.

The pain dulled as time passed and she could barely remember what they even looked like. But she never forgot about her old friends. She held onto the charm bracelet Trunks and Bulma had given to her. As Bulma had said, she eventually grew enough for the bracelet to fit perfectly and it never came off.

Seven years came and went, and still, the nightmare of the Androids didn't seem to have an end. It had been so long since Charisma had even glanced outside. She almost forgot what it felt like to feel a breeze or to look at the sky.

"Charisma!" Kaylei called out. "Charisma, where are you?"

Making her way through the bunker, Kaylei came across a room with the door slightly open. She peered inside to find Charisma pounding her fists away at the punching bag that looked like it was ready to pop open.

"She's a strong girl," a voice spoke to Kaylei. She looked over to see the white bearded old man that stood watching. "She has a lot of raw power. It's unlike anything I've ever seen for a girl like her. And she's so small but she packs one heck of a punch!"

Charisma heard him talking and looked over to see. She noticed her mother and waved. "Hey, Mom!"

"I thought I would find you in here again," Kaylei said and looked at the old man. "How have you been, Onigi?"

"Very well!" the jolly looking old man said. "Sparing with your daughter always makes me feel young."

"I hope she hasn't been causing you too much trouble."

"Not at all," he chuckled and turned to leave. "We'll continue sparring again soon, Charisma."

"Bye, Mr. Onigi," Charisma bowed respectfully. Her mother approached her and she smiled. "He's such a good sensei. I don't know if I've ever met anyone as skilled in this bunker before. It makes me happy to not have to train on my own."

Kaylei sighed and patted her daughter on the back. "Come on. I've made dinner."

Charisma and her mother made it back to their apartment. Charisma showered and dressed before sitting down at the small table in the center of their small home.

"So…" Charisma said lowly as she lifted her fork. "It seems Dad has disappeared again, huh? He's not coming to join us?"

"No, I'm afraid not," Kaylei sighed sadly. "It's been so long since we've had a meal as a family. I wonder what's going on with him."

Charisma shook her head. "Who knows? He's probably locked himself in his lab again. Well whatever. We'll just have to wait till he comes back, whenever that will be."

As soon as she finished her sentence, the door opened and Mino stepped inside. Charisma and Kaylei stopped mid chew to look at him and both throw him a glare. He jumped at noticing their expressions and chuckled nervously.

"…Sorry about wandering off again," he apologized.

"What's the point in saying 'sorry' if you're just going to do it again?" Kaylei responded, unimpressed.

Charisma finished eating her food and went off into her 'bedroom.' It wasn't much of a bedroom at all. There was a small mattress on the floor and a few books scattered around. A notebook with notes she'd jotted from homeschooling lay open on the other end of the mattress. Charisma threw her self on to the mattress and looked up at the dingy ceiling. There wasn't much of anything to do while inside. She was already tired of beating away at the punching bag and lifting weights all day.

'When will you guys defeat the Androids?' she thought. 'It's been so long and the Androids are still plaguing the Earth…I hope you're all okay…Aunt Bulma, Gohan, Trunks…' She sat up in her mattress and looked at the charm bracelet on her wrist.

It had been years since she'd seen or heard of anything from her old friends. Charisma lamented the fact that she didn't even have a picture of Gohan to remember him by, only her fuzzy memories. She did have a few pictures of Bulma and Trunks, mostly when they were very young. Her favorite picture, however, was the one Bulma had taken during her 8th birthday.

It sat adorned in a colorful frame on a small stand across the room. She couldn't remember a birthday since then that had been filled with so much joy.

Charisma's eyes traveled to that pictured and she smiled sadly. Even as the years passed by and she could barely remember the sound of their voices, she remembered fondly their smiles. She felt warm at remembering how much Trunks always promised to protect her and the good times they had even a midst the chaos of the world around.

'Please…defeat them soon so I can see you guys again.'

The sound of her mother's loud and protesting voice startled Charisma. She got up immediately and hurried out to the main room.

"But you already went last time," Kaylei objected. "It's not fair that you're the only one expected to replenish our on supplies."

Mino shook his head. "You worry too much. I'll be fine. According to the news, the Androids are all the way in South City. I doubt they'll come back here at least not right now." He looked over to see Charisma look of concern on her face hurt his heart. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine."

"…You're leaving again?" Charisma asked in disbelief. "This is completely unfair! Why don't you just say 'no?' You're letting them walk all over you because they know you're too nice!"

Since being locked in the bunker, any movement outside of it was restricted to only collected necessities every few months. It was dangerous for one to wander around outside, but Mino was always the first to volunteer when needed.

"You really don't have to go," Charisma said to him. "You go all the time, Dad. Please just stay home. It's getting worse out there…"

"She's right," Kaylei agreed. "What will we do if…something were to happen to you?"

"I'll be all right," he said as he left to retrieve his jacket. "It won't be long this time. I promise."

Kaylei and Charisma exchanged frustrated glances. There was nothing they could say or do to stop him. He was just too stubborn.

They joined in, along with the other wives and children of the volunteers, as they we ready to open the latch and head up and out into the dangerous world. Mino turned around before moving on and hugged both his wife and daughter before departing with a smile. "Take of each other until I get back, all right?"

Charisma and Kaylei nodded and watched as he climbed the metal stairs with the group of five other men.

"Please…come back…" Kaylei whispered.

It wasn't unusual at all for the trip for supplies to take a few days. Most trips had taken about three days as the men had to travel far distances to find any stores that would be open.

After the third day passed without any sign of the men, however, a feeling of uneasiness filled the residents of the compound.

"He's still not back," Charisma cried as she sat for dinner on the fifth night.

Kaylei knew that the situation was looking pretty grim but she brushed off the feeling. "Maybe they just had to travel further or they got lost. You know how men are," she chuckled. "Don't worry too much. Just eat, my dear."

A week soon passed and in another blink, two weeks passed. On her way to the gym room, Charisma would hear news of more Android attacks on the other resident's radios. Charisma and Kaylei weren't alone in their worry as the women and children who'd been left behind also filled with concern.

"We can't wait much longer," a middle aged resident said one day. "We have to get more supplies. I don't know what happened to the other men, but we can't wait any longer."

Another group of about seven men headed out, to much more frightened and sad cries of their loved ones than the last group. This excursion turned out well, however, as those men returned within three days.

Another week passed and another, until at last, two months had passed without any news of the men that had gone to find supplies the first time. The bunker was filled with the echo of loud sobs and despair, as the families of the men had no choice but to presume their deaths. The Androids had since returned to the area, after all. Only the worse could've happened.

"I told him not to go…" Charisma sobbed as her mother held her in her arms.

"I know," she cried as well. "We tried…but that's just how your father always was. He just wanted to help people…"

A cloud of darkness came over the women of the bunker, and Charisma and Kaylei's world was turned upside down once more. They would never know what happened to Mino.

A few more months passed and brought in a new year, but one still filled with the horror of the Androids. Sixteen year old Charisma was now working hard to catch up on her studies as she sat on her mattress.

"I don't think I understand any of this…" she mumbled as she flipped through her notes. "It would suck if I were to fall behind everyone else…" Charisma rolled over all around her bed in order to find a comfortable position for studying. Groaning in annoyance, she sat up and pouted. "So bored!"

Charisma emerged from her bedroom into her silent bunker-apartment, quiet and ominous as always. "Mom!" Charisma called out and hurried over to her mother's bedroom. "Mom…?"

Charisma entered to find her mother asleep on the mattress. "Mom…" she said as she approached. "I'm going to the weight room."

Her mother mumbled incoherently in her sleep.

'Mom always says that I should tell her where I'm going before I leave,' Charisma thought. 'I won't be gone for long anyway. She'll know where to find me.'

Charisma stepped out into the hall and paused directly outside of her door. 'Being cooped up inside all day like an animal is the worst kind of torture there is. But until the Androids are gone, there's nothing else we can do…'

Charisma looked up at the ceiling attentively. 'But I have to wonder…was Dad really working hard on finding a way to destroy the Androids? What kind of machine would be able to do that?'

Curiosity began to get the better of her as Charisma walked past the gym and towards another end of the bunker, far from any of the apartments and other rooms.

'This is Dad's lab…' Charisma had followed her father many times before since her childhood, enough to have memorized his PIN for getting inside. 'I haven't been in here since…since he left…'

The door opened slowly and Charisma stepped in. She pressed a button to shut the door and turned around to observe the many oddities. Gadgets, electronics, all kinds of machines were sprawled all around her.

"Dad really was some kind of a genius," she remarked as she looked through his tools and notes.

Charisma's eyes caught sight of a large looking machine at the furthest end of the lab.

"What's this supposed to be?" she wondered as she circled around it and inspected it. "It looks like a rocket ship…or maybe it's a special kind of port a potty…"

Charisma chuckled immaturely at the notion. "Sounds like something Dad would come up with…"

Charisma's hands traced the cool surface of the clunky machine and her hands brush against a button accidentally. She nearly jumped out of her skin when the door came open.

"Wow, it works!" Curiosity getting the better of her, Charisma cautiously stepped inside the machine.

"But what does it do? It's pretty small in here…a claustrophobic's nightmare…" Charisma almost lost her footing and stumbled to regain it. The sudden shift caused the door to slam shut right behind her.

"It's so dark!" Charisma squealed, getting nervous now. "This was a bad idea. How do I get out?"

Charisma fidgeted in the darkness and placed her hands against the door. "It won't budge! I'm stuck!" Her nervousness was escalating and her finger accidentally brushed against a button.

'Click!'

The inside of the machine suddenly shone brilliantly as the screen turned on and the buttons lit up. "It works?"

'Input date,' read the screen.

"What is this? I don't care about the date, I just want to get out of here. How do I open this door?"

Charisma pressed several buttons only to hear an error buzz after each one. "Damn it! I might just have to break this thing!" Confused and desperate, Charisma frantically began banging on many controls at once in her frenzy and the current date, but with a different year, flashed on the screen. The date seemingly seared into her eyes when she looked up. Without warning, the machine began to shake around violently and loudly. The force threw Charisma about and she fell back, landing on the seat and hitting her head on the back in the process. The noise was loud enough to wake up the other residents of the bunker. They ran out of their apartments to investigate the noise.

"What's that commotion?" asked one.

"I think it's coming from Professor Mino's lab," replied another.

Kaylei's eyes came open suddenly as she heard a bang that sounded horribly loud and terrifying.

"What's going on?" she cried as she stood up, blinking away her drowsiness. "Charisma?"

Noticing that Charisma was gone, Kaylei hurried out of her apartment to find the other residents chattering about. "What's going on?" she asked.

"We don't really know," replied her neighbor. "All we heard was a loud bang."

Kaylei hurried towards the gym in hopes of finding Charisma there. The gym was empty, however, and Kaylei turned around towards her neighbors. "Have any of you seen Charisma?"

The all shook their heads. "No."

"Where is she?" Kaylei ran towards the exit. "No…there's no way she could've left. Why would she have stepped out? Charisma!"

"She's not in here," one of the residents informed Kaylei. "No one has seen her in here at all."

Kaylei hurried up the steel steps towards the latch.

"What are you doing?! You can't go outside!"

"It's dangerous!"

"You'll give us all away! You'll get us all killed!"

Kaylei desperately tried to escape through the opening in the latch outside, only to be physically restrained by the other residents. "Charisma!" she cried. "Charisma!"

Charisma didn't know why but her head hurt like all hell. Her eyes fluttered open to hear the humming of the machine she was sitting in.

"Was I dreaming?" she said out loud as she rubbed her eyes. "What happened?"

Gasping inwardly, Charisma stood up and remembered what had occurred. "I'm still trapped! Mom is going to kill me if I'm not home in time for dinner."

Charisma tried once again to open the door, and surprisingly, it budged and opened with ease. Charisma's eyes were blinded, however, by sunlight. Sunlight? It was so intense and stung so much. It had been so long since she'd seen sunlight.

"W-what is this?" Charisma stepped outside to hear green grass crunching under her feet. She looked down as if it were the strangest thing ever. She looked up to see mountains in the distance and many trees around. She was in the clearing of some kind of wooded area.

"Am I dreaming…? No but this…feels real…"

Charisma walked through the clearing for a few minutes before giving up. "I don't know where I am. Seems that machine is some kind of transportation device or something…I better figure out how to get home…"

Charisma made her way back to the machine and stepped inside.

"Battery low…" the screen read.

"Oh no! Bad, bad, very bad!" Charisma cried and began fumbling around with the buttons. "What am I going to do? I'm stranded! I'm lost in the middle of no where!"

The machine didn't give way to her protests and faded away quickly.

Charisma's shoulders slumped as she leaned back against the seat. "What am I going to do now? I can't just fly and look for help…that'll just attract the Androids if they're nearby…"

Charisma exited the machine and began walking towards a random direction. "I'm sure I'll come across someone who can help me eventually…just gotta keep walking."

Charisma must've walked for about twenty minutes before she came across a stretch of road that cut through the woods. A large truck began heading down the road and Charisma brightened up.

"It's another person!" Charisma waved her arms wildly in order to attract the driver's attention.

"It's a girl," the middle aged man remarked and stopped for her. "Hey, where are you from?"

"Hello," Charisma replied. "I'm from West City. I don't know how I ended up here but I need to get back before the Androids show up. It's dangerous to be outside."

"Androids?" the man repeated with a raised brow. "You mean, like robots?"

"Yeah," Charisma responded. "You know, the Androids. Those robots that are going around killing everyone. They're around here somewhere and it's dangerous to be outside of the bunker. I have to get back before Mom finds out."

The man was giving her a strange look. "Are you all right? Did you hit your head or something? You're not making any sense."

Charisma blinked up at him in confusion. "You're saying…you've never heard of the Androids?"

"No, I'm afraid not."

"…how strange…" Charisma frowned and shook her head. "They're all over the news…how could you not…?"

"Anyway," he said suddenly. "I'm heading towards West City to deliver some stuff. You can hop on and I'll give you a ride."

Charisma carefully jumped in and the ride was smooth and silent. The man noticed how the look of bewilderment remained on her face.

"Do you want to go to the hospital or something? You don't look too well."

"No, I'm fine…" Charisma responded. "But tell me…where are we exactly?"

"We're about a half hour south of West City," he replied. "Don't you remember how you got here or what happened?"

Charisma shook her head. "I can't…I can't remember anything…"

"Thank you for tuning in," the radio blared. "The West City Marathon 764 that took place yesterday…"

'The West City Marathon…' Charisma thought. 'How strange. Mom said she loved to run marathons but there hasn't been a marathon anywhere after the Androids showed up. And why would they name it 764?'

Charisma noticed a slightly crumpled newspaper at her feet on the bottom of the truck. The date was printed in small letters to the right of the main headline. '764?'

"Say," she said cautiously. "…what's today's date?"

"April 10th," replied the trucker. "Why do you ask?"

"No reason…" Charisma mumbled. 'Sounds right…'

"Um…what's the year?"

The man took his eyes off the road for a moment to look at her with bewilderment and concern. "Did you forget that, too? You really must've hit your head on something if you forgot that much."

Charisma grinned nervously. "I guess…well?"

"764."

Charisma felt as if the wind had been knocked out of her. 'He can't…he can't be serious…' Charisma's eyes widened with disbelief. "764…are you sure it's 764?! We're not in 784?!"

"Of course not," the trucker replied instantly. "That's not for another 20 years…But you already know that, don't you?"

Charisma shut her eyes and took a deep breath. She knew she needed to calm down if she wanted to find any type of answers. Her eyes opened and she stared out the window at the passing scenery. It was unlike anything she'd ever seen. The world she knew was in shambles. This world looked like it was happy and flourishing.

'The date on the machine said 764, too,' she thought. 'But…how is that possible? Am I going crazy?'

"Something must've happened to you back there," the man finally said after a moment of silence. "For sure…I'm going to get you some help once we get to West City, young lady."


	4. Past Life

_Chapter 3:_

_Past Life_

By the time the trucked pulled up to West City Memorial Hospital, Charisma was in a state of complete shock. First off, the West City looked nothing like she would've expected it to. The West City she knew was brought to it's knees: a total warzone of crumbled buildings, missing roads, and no signs of live. Yet all around, the sounds and sights of fast moving traffic and lively people going about their business were clear as day.

"Here we are," the trucker said and looked over at her sympathetically. "You should go inside and get some help…"

Charisma didn't respond at all. Her eyes remained glued on her lap blankly. The trucker and leaned closer to her. "Young lady, are you all right?" Charisma remained frozen in shock.

The trucker unbuckled his seat belt and got out of his trucker. "I better get some help."

Within a few moments, Charisma was being escorted into a room full of doctors and nurses, scurrying about and observing her.

'…if this is the past…I don't exist here yet…' she thought as the doctors continued their work on her. 'My parents aren't even in West City yet either…what am I supposed to do? I'm all alone now…Who will believe me when I tell them where I'm from?'

A few hours passed and Charisma remained in the hospital. The doctors were baffled as to what her identity was and where her parents could be. Charisma hadn't said a word at all or shown any signs of being mentally present since the trucker had brought her to the hospital.

"There's nothing wrong with her at all…" one of the doctors remarked to the nurse. "She's perfectly healthy, aside from some vitamin deficiencies. She's in great shape."

"How strange," the nurse replied sympathetically. "She looks like something happened though. Maybe we can get her to talk?"

The nurse entered the room to find Charisma sitting up in her bed. She stared out the window into the distance. She could catch a glimpse of the building she was hoping to be Capsule Corp headquarters.

'If I can find someone to help me…I'm sure that's the place to go…' she thought.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" the nurse asked her softly. "You're all right. There's nothing wrong with you at all. Can you tell me what your name is? Or where you came from? What about your parents?"

Charisma remained silent for a long moment. She took a deep breath and looked at the nurse. "…I don't think there's anyone who can help me…" she mumbled, her eyes filling with tears.

"Why is that?"

Charisma shook her head and looked down. "I don't know who my parents are. I don't even know where I came from…"

The nurse patted Charisma's back sympathetically. "Don't worry. We'll be able to find your parents. What's your name? How old are you?"

"My name…is Charisma. I'm 16."

"Charisma? That's a pretty name." The nurse gave her a reassuring smile. "You don't have to worry about anything. We'll try to find your parents."

Charisma's shoulders fell. "I don't think that's going to be possible."

"In any case, there's a youth center located a few blocks from here. If all else falls through, you can stay there for free so you won't have to sleep on the streets. On top of that, they can even help you find a job."

Charisma felt her spirits lift slightly. At knowing she at least would have a place to stay, Charisma felt a bit of relief. Still, the situation wasn't looking good. She would need to find help, somehow, somewhere, if she hoped to get back to where she belonged.

After discussing the situation with the doctors, the nurse went ahead and set up everything so that Charisma could make her move into the youth center once she was dismissed from the hospital. She was put under the care of a friendly and older lady named Tansy.

"You'll be well taken care of here, Charisma," the brown haired woman reassured her.

Charisma smiled at her halfheartedly and went to her designated cot for the night. She felt strange at seeing so many youngsters like herself sleeping on the other cots around.

'It's funny…I don't feel so alone…' she thought as she carefully lay down. 'Tomorrow…I think I'll go to Capsule Corp and try to find someone who can help me. Maybe I can even find Aunt Bulma somewhere and she can help me. I don't have another choice…'

After eating breakfast and changing into an old set of clothes that was given to her Tansy, Charisma took off towards Capsule Corp.

"Please be back before it gets too dark, you hear?" Tansy warned her.

"I will…" Charisma replied. "I won't take long."

Charisma walked around West City and couldn't help be feel at least some sense of excitement. She'd never seen so many people, so many happy looking people. The only looks she'd gotten used to were those of panic and sadness. She'd never been allowed to walk around freely on her own either.

Charisma took a deep breath as she drank in the sights. 'I'm gonna try to not worry about anything. I'm sure there's a way to go back. If there was a way for me to come here, then it's not impossible for me to go back, right?' Charisma smiled feebly and took off running down the street. 'All I gotta do is find Aunt Bulma!'

Charisma greatly misjudged the distance to the Capsule Corp building and ended up walking for about a good thirty minutes. Nonetheless, she found herself standing in front of the headquarters and gazing up at the tall, tall office building. For some reason, she was becoming nervous.

'What if…they can't help me? Will they even know what I'm talking about?'

Charisma's finger fiddled with the bottom of her gray hoodie. She swallowed at her nervousness and stepped inside the air conditioned lobby. Various different people stood around and bustled about, in their suits and ties. The receptionist was busy typing away at her computer and simultaneously talking on the phone.

'What should I say?' Charisma wondered. 'Who can I talk to?'

"Tell the Boss I'll finish it when I return from lunch!" a voice spoke loudly as the elevator doors opened. A tall, dark haired man in a suit was talking on his cell phone and hung up once he stepped out to the lobby. "Really, can't a guy even grab something to eat in peace?" he grumbled.

Charisma watched as he headed towards the exit. 'Maybe he can tell me something?'

Charisma hurried over and called to him. "Excuse me, sir!"

The man turned around and looked at her. "Yes, what is it?"

"Well, I just have a question," she stuttered nervously. He was rather intimidating. "…what do you think about time…travel?"

"Excuse me?" he asked, looking a bit puzzled.

"…Well, Capsule Corp has always been a very innovative company," she stammered. Her mind fumbled for an explanation as to why she was asking such a crazy question in the first place. "I was having a discussion with my classmates at school and we were wondering if it's ever going to be possible, and if so, Capsule Corp might be the company to do it."

The guy chuckled somewhat haughtily. "That's a good sentiment to have, but there's no way that could happen. It's impossible…Anyway, I have to get going. I only have a half hour lunch break!"

Charisma's face fell but she nodded at him and put on a smile. "I'm sorry. Thank you for your time."

Charisma began making her way back to the youth center, dragging her feet on the ground. 'What am I going to do? I'm running out of options…' Charisma was quietly lost in thought as she walked down the street.

The loud honk of a car horn snapped her out of her thoughts. Charisma has wandered a little too far from the sidewalk and down the road. She jumped back to the sidewalk in the nick of time.

"Look out! Do you want to get killed!" the driver of the blue hover car blared as he passed.

Charisma's frown deepened as she continued walking. Casually looking up to the other side of the road, she caught sight of a head of blue green hair. Charisma gasped once she recognized the face.

"Aunt Bulma!" Charisma exclaimed. "It's definitely her! She still looks the same as I remember…"

It took a minute for Charisma to notice the tall, dark haired man walking beside her. They seemed to be quarreling about something, but sure enough, they linked arms together and walked down the street, happy as can be.

Charisma cooed. "I wonder if that's Trunks' dad…" Charisma couldn't help but smile. "It would be so cool if I could meet them!" Remembering her situation, Charisma brushed off the idea of simply mingling with them. She watched as the pair headed towards a small and warm looking café on a corner. The dark haired man opened the door and Bulma walked inside.

"I've got to get closer…" Charisma said and hurried across the street and into the café. The bell above the door clicked as she stepped inside. Putting on her oversided hood, Charisma spotted the table where Bulma and her date were sitting and sat behind them.

'This is good…' she thought. 'Now I can hear what they're talking about…'

"This place makes the best coffee," Bulma said and Charisma smiled at hearing her voice.

'Her voice is still the same as I remember…'

"I guess I'll be bringing you here more often if you like it so much," the man replied. "I'm getting tired of that other place…"

Charisma was startled by the waitress that came by and asked her for her order. "Oh…" Charisma stuttered. "I'm just waiting for someone…"

Charisma sat there for a long while, listening to the conversation. 'It's definitely my Aunt Bulma all right…Now I just gotta figure out how to talk to her without seeming strange.'

Charisma stood up and hurried to the counter. "I was wondering…are you hiring?"

"Yes we are," the waitress behind the counter replied.

'If I get a job here, then hopefully I'll see Bulma more often.'

In time, Charisma was slowly trying to pick herself up. Her stay at the youth center wasn't so bad but she didn't really try to make friends with anyone there. Her main goal was trying to find a way back to the future and she was sure it would happen some day.

The days dragged on and on and two months soon went passed. Charisma, with the help of the councilors at the youth center, was able to snag the job at the café she wanted. Sure enough, Bulma frequented the café with her date, whom she learned was named Yamcha. In effort to strike up conversation, Charisma discounted their meals as often as she could, even if it meant picking up the missing portion of the tab herself.

Her plan worked and she was able to strike up conversations with the pair often, to the point where their visits would become more frequent. Just having Bulma and Yamcha there made Charisma's day brighter.

On a relatively quiet afternoon, Bulma entered the café on her own. She waved at Charisma once she caught sight of the blonde girl at the other end of the building.

Charisma grinned warmly at her and came over. "Hey, how have you been?"

"I've been great, Charisma," Bulma responded and took a seat a nearby booth. "How's work been? You seem to be working a lot lately."

"Yeah I have," Charisma said, sitting down with a sign. "You came in just the right time. I'm taking my break now."

"Great, so we'll finally have a chance to chat," Bulma said happily.

"I ordered food. You can help yourself if you'd like."

"You're so nice," Bulma said sweetly. "Do you ever get a day off?"

"Yeah, but I usually prefer to work." Charisma took a deep breath and looked down at her hands. "It's not like I really have anywhere else to be."

"Why is that?"

Charisma debated whether or not now would be the right time to ask for her help. They had only been acquaintances for a few short weeks. She didn't want to come off as imposing. Instead, Charisma explained her situation the best way she could without revealing too much.

As the girls ate, Charisma explained that she'd been lost somehow without any memory of her parents and how she was staying at the youth center for now.

Bulma gave her a look of pity that made her feel a bit uneasy. "What's it like over there?"

"It's not that bad," Charisma said. "It's better than nothing, for sure. I'm very grateful that I have a place to stay for now. But I don't know how long that will last though."

"I see…" Bulma looked a little down but her face brightened up as she leaned towards the girl. "Hey, would you like to spend the night over at my house?"

Charisma almost spit out her soda. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Really? But…I don't want to impose…"

"Don't be silly!" Bulma said with a wave of her hand. "I can't quite explain it, but I feel in my heart like I'm the only one who can help you. I just have to do something."

Bulma's words struck Charisma in the heart. She had to keep her mouth from falling open in astonishment. It must've been a major coincidence or just sheer luck that Bulma was feeling the same way as she did.

"…I don't know what to say…" Charisma said weakly, feeling tears of happiness about to overcome her. 'I might just have a chance!' she mentally exclaimed.

"Hey, hey!" Bulma said quickly, her face filled with empathy. "No need to cry! Just say yes."

Charisma nodded her head enthusiastically. "Okay! Thank you so much! You have no idea what this means to me."

It came to be that Charisma enjoyed being in the Capsule Corp house much more than she liked being at the youth center. For starters, the house on the inside was still as warm as inviting as in her memories.

Charisma never had the chance to meet Bulma's parents in her time, aside from possibly when she was a toddler. She was pleased at how they were so wonderfully nice. Bulma's mother fed Charisma with so many sweets she thought she would pop.

Charisma's visits to Bulma's house became frequent and Charisma began spending her days off of work with her. They would either spend it in the house, watching movies and hanging out, or even heading down to the city to walk around. Their friendship seemed to blossom quickly within a matter of a few weeks.

"I don't know what it is," Bulma remarked to her. "But I feel like I've known you forever."

Charisma didn't know what to say but smiled warmly. "So do I."

After Charisma returned to the youth center that night, she found it hard to sleep with so many wonderful feelings buzzing inside of her. For the first time in a long time, she didn't feel alone anymore.

'I can't believe my luck in having found Bulma,' Charisma thought as she lay on her cot. 'I wonder if her feelings have anything to do with our connection in my time. That's the only explanation I can think of. And I finally feel like I'm getting closer to going back home. I've even gotten to meet Trunks' grandparents. It's almost as if…just by knowing them I feel closer to him.'

At thinking of him, Charisma also thought about her mother. 'I hope she's okay…she must be so worried about me. Please be strong, Mom.'

A few days passed and Bulma hadn't shown up at the café in quite a while. Charisma hoped everything with her was all right but couldn't help but worry. Things in her life always seemed to take a turn for the worst. This time would prove different, however.

On one sunny morning, Charisma stood behind the counter, leaning against its top surface, her chin on the palm of her hand. Her eyes glinted with boredom and she sighed heavily. Today was not a busy day at all, so far. There were no clients around at all and Charisma was on her own as her coworker was now on a week long vacation.

The bell rang above the door as it opened. Charisma looked up and smiled warmly, standing up straight and bowing. "Good morning, Bulma."

"Hi, Charisma," she greeted as she sat at the counter. "What's up?"

"Nothing much," Charisma sighed and placed her chin back in her hands on the counter. "I'm not as busy as I usually am, today."

"I see," Bulma said, pausing before speaking up again. "Hey, Charisma…I know this might sound a little sudden, but I've been talking to my parents."

"Really?" Charisma asked casually as she wiped the countertop with a moist cloth. "About what? Is there anything wrong?"

"No, not at all," Bulma replied. "It's just that I've been thinking a lot myself, too. You're such a good person with a less than perfect life. You said you were all alone in this world. It really got me thinking, you know?"

Charisma's eye brows furrowed up slightly, not sure where she was going with this. "…Yeah, I see."

"…Well, I don't mean to sound like I'm prying into your personal life or anything…but I asked my parents if it was alright for you to live with us for a while."

Charisma dropped her cloth and stood up straight immediately, locking eyes with Bulma. "…Seriously? You mean for real?" Charisma smiled excitedly but her face dropped almost instantly. "That's very nice of you, Bulma, don't get me wrong. I really appreciate it but…I don't want to be a burden…"

"You won't be, silly," Bulma said, folding her arms. "It's not like you asked me for any favors. I'm offering you a place to stay on my own. I don't think it's a good idea for a girl your age to be wandering about the streets late at night on her own. And it's so hard to feel any connection to the people at the youth center since they're coming and going all the time. It can't be healthy."

Charisma felt happiness sinking in. 'I can't believe it…this is incredible!'

"Believe me when I say that I feel like I'm the only one who can help you. This feels like the right thing to do so I'm going to do it. And you work so hard so there's no way you could possibly be a burden. Besides, my house is more than big enough for you to live comfortably and believe it or not, we're pretty well off anyway. You don't even have to pay rent."

"Aww, but that's too much!" Charisma responded. "I don't want to mooch off of you guys!"

Bulma shook her head. "You're still very young. My parents feel the same way I do about the situation. You need guidance and help. We're more than willing to take you in to our home."

Charisma felt her eyes tearing up with tears of happiness. Charisma stepped around the counter and bowed respectfully to Bulma many, many times. A thousand thank you's and all the money in the world couldn't express how grateful she felt.

Bulma chuckled and stood up from her seat on the stool. "Hey, hey! There's no need for that now."

"I can't even begin to tell you how much this means to me…" Charisma said gratefully.

"Just say yes, silly," she welcomed the blond with a smile. "It's no problem at all. Believe me."

"I would love to," Charisma nodded, grinning with genuine warmth. "…I can't even begin to thank you enough."

Bulma blushed and cocked her head to the side graciously. "Don't worry about it. Come over whenever you're ready. You can even move in tomorrow, if that's all right with you."

"Of course!" Charisma said enthusiastically. "I should tell the people at the youth center before I go, though."

"Definitely," Bulma responded. "Just don't take too long, all right?"

"Sure," Charisma chuckled and beamed brightly.

"Great!" Bulma grabbed her purse from the stool beside her and smiled at Charisma. "I'll see you then."

Charisma waved to Bulma as she left the café. She couldn't fight of the feeling of happiness and could barely keep her happy tears away. 'Impossible…' she thought. 'It seems things are finally looking up! I'm so glad.'

Charisma hurried over to the youth center as soon as she got off of work.

"I'm happy for you," Tansy said sweetly. "My goal is to help youngsters such as yourself to pick themselves up and find their way. This is a good sign of good things to come, don't you think?"

Charisma nodded with a warm smile. "I definitely think so."

"Take care, Charisma. You'll live a happy life. I'm sure of it."

The following morning, Charisma showed up at Bulma's house just before 11 a.m. She didn't have much on her other than a small backpack of clothes that she had purchased after working in the café.

"You're finally here!" Bulma exclaimed as she opened the front door to the Capsule Corp house. "I thought you'd never show up!"

"You know I wasn't going to turn down your invitation, Bulma," Charisma replied with a witty smile.

"Welcome home!" Mrs. Brief said cheerfully and hurried over to Charisma. "I'm so glad you agreed to come! This is your home now, all right?"

Charisma bowed respectfully to Mrs. Brief. "Thank you so much! I'll be sure to be on my best behavior."

"You don't have to worry about anything," she said as she began walking towards the kitchen. "I've got some more sweets for you to enjoy. Have a seat!"

Bulma lightly tugged on Charisma's arm. "Hey, let me show you your room."

Charisma's face brightened up even more. "Sure!"

Charisma's designated bedroom was right down the hall from Bulma's. she was floored at how spacey it was. The walls were a pleasing shade of sky blue and the bed in the center of the room was big and comfy. Charisma couldn't remember the last time she had such a nice bed to herself.

"I see you like it," Bulma said jokingly at Charisma's expression. "I hope it suits your tastes."

"You could send me to sleep on the floor and it would suit my tastes!" Charisma exclaimed. "I really don't know what to say."

"Enough of that!" Bulma said softly. "Let's go to the living room. I've got some guests over including some friends I'd like you to meet."

Charisma nodded and followed her along.

"My friends certainly aren't your every day average people," Bulma explained as they made their way through the hall. "They can be nice when they want to be, though."

Charisma stifled a giggle.

"Anyway, there are a lot of interesting people in my life. You'll see when the time comes."

They entered the large living room and found Yamcha sitting on the couch in front of the television. Sitting beside him was a small statured pig.

Charisma smiled at recognizing the dark haired man. "Hi Yamcha!" she called to him and waved.

"Well, nice to see you're all comfy," Bulma announced. "I have a new friend I'd like you to meet, too, Oolong."

'Oolong?' Charisma thought. 'I think I've met him before…at least a few times as a child when I stayed with Bulma. It's almost like déjà vu…'

"A friend?" said Oolong standing up from the couch.

"Yeah, she's going to be living here with me from now on," Bulma explained as she gave Oolong a hard look. "Be on your best behavior, you hear me?"

"What are you talking about?" he retorted as if that was the most insulting thing she could say. "I'm always well behaved."

Bulma simply huffed. "Well…"

"Nice to meet you," Charisma said with a friendly smile. "I'm Charisma."

"Oolong," he grinned. "Yeah, same here…"

"Nice to meet you, Charisma!" an adorable little blue cat flew up toward the blond girl.

'I think I remember her, too…'

Charisma brushed off her thoughts and stepped forward. "And who are you?"

"This is our friend, Puar," Yamcha explained, walking toward them.

"Looks like we have a lot of talking to do," Bulma told Charisma with a wink. "Now that we're going to be living together, it's almost like we're sisters, don't you think?"

Charisma smiled and clapped her hands. "I like the sound of that. I never had a sister."

"Well, then I'll be the best sister you can hope for!" Bulma giggled and turned to the guys. "Now that we're all acquainted, let's go outside for some fresh air and make Charisma feel at home."

A few short moments later, they group sat together on a small balcony on the side of the round building. They sipped iced orange juice and joked the entire afternoon without a care in the world. Charisma was beginning to feel at home already. It'd been such a long time since she'd been able to breathe easy.

At one point in their banter, Yamcha randomly burst out into song, causing Charisma to laugh and almost spit out her drink.

"You goof!" laughed Bulma, sitting on the railing. "Where did you come up with that?"

"It's from an old cat food commercial," Yamcha explained with a chuckle. "Puar hates it when I do that."

"I ate cat food once," Oolong suddenly said with a strange face. "Worst thing I ever tasted."

Charisma chuckled and shook her head. "Well, I've eaten cat food, too. I was seriously starving and didn't have much of a choice. Surprisingly, it wasn't so bad." The gang eyed her with confused glances and she blushed, suddenly laughing. "It's true!"

"Speaking of strange things, I had a weird dream last night that Vegeta came back," Bulma casually changed the subject.

"Vegeta…?" Charisma repeated as she cocked her head to the side.

Bulma looked over to the girl and chuckled. "Oh yeah. I haven't told you about him. You don't know the guy. I'm not sure if you'll want to, either…"

"…Wait a second!" Yamcha suddenly shouted, abruptly standing up. Bulma and Charisma turned toward him. "You dreamt about Vegeta?!"

"You know," she said softly, as if reminiscing. "He was actually pretty nice to me in the dream. And a good kisser, too…"

"WHAT?! You kissed him?!" Yamcha's face became horribly red and his eyes looked as if they were about to pop out of his head.

"It was just a dream, Yamcha…" she replied as-a-matter-of-factly.

Charisma took a sip from her cup of juice and looked up with a sigh. 'So I'm going to meet more people soon. These must be the friends Bulma lost in my time…' At thinking of it, Charisma's face fell. 'So…how much time do we have now until the Androids take over this world, too?'

No one seemed to notice Charisma's sudden gloom. Instead, she was snapped from her thoughts by Oolong's loud and obnoxious snicker.

"You poor sap…you're jealous aren't you? Admit it!" he teased Yamcha.

Yamcha sighed and sat on his seat, regaining his composure. "Yeah right. What do I have to be jealous of?"

Bulma's mother walked into the scene, carrying a tray of tea. "Speaking of Vegeta…" she said with her perky voice. "…Your dad said he should be running out of fuel soon!" She giggled to herself like it wasn't anything important.

Bulma gasped suddenly and jumped off from the railing. "Vegeta's running out of fuel…?" she repeated sadly. She turned around and looked up to the sky, as if searching for him, as if praying.

Charisma was about to speak but decided to remain silent. After all, Bulma didn't seem so happy anymore.

Charisma stared out into the sky. 'I wonder if I should say something now. Would any of them even believe me? No way. It's too soon. I can't get ahead of myself. But…what about the androids? When are they going to show up…?' Charisma's eyes studied the passing clouds, widening when she came to a conclusion. 'If I were to tell them about the Androids…would that affect my future, too? What would happen…? There's no way they'd believe that though…'

Bulma gasped loudly and began pointing up at the sky frantically. "Hey, hey! Look at that! What is that?"

The others obeyed her orders and looked up to see a large object burning through the sky and plowing straight towards them. They all stood up in their seats, totally alarmed.

"What's that?" Charisma asked in a panic. "It's going to crash!"

Suddenly, the object crashed down with an earth shattering rumble, right in front of the house. A thick cloud of smoke blew every where and everyone stood with their eyes wide open in shock.

"What the hell was that?!" Yamcha demanded, running to the direction of the crash.

Bulma groaned in frustration and ran after him. "Wait for me!"

Not knowing what else to do, Charisma followed along. "Me too!"

When they arrived near the foreign looking machine, they found Bulma's mother standing with her tea.

"I didn't know we were having more guests dropping by," she giggled, spilling tea from the pot all over the ground. "Goodness! I definitely need to put another pot of tea!"

The door on the spherical ship opened and out walked a man with tall, spiky black hair. Yamcha's eyes narrowed threateningly as he growled and prepared for a fight.

"Vegeta…" he snarled. "What are you doing here?!"

At that moment, Bulma and Charisma arrived and stopped right behind Yamcha as well. Bulma's mom giggled, totally clueless as ever. "Oh my…maybe you prefer some coffee?"

Vegeta growled and threw them a disgusted looking glance. "I was hoping that Kakarot might have finally returned."

"What? No way!" Yamcha loosened up slightly. "You never found him in space?"

Vegeta leapt right in front of Yamcha menacingly. "Don't remind me," he snarled. "I'm angry enough to hurt someone, and pounding you might just be the therapy I need."

"Hey guys! What's that awful smell?" Bulma suddenly interrupted, stepping in between them. "Oh it's you!" she said, poking Vegeta on his chest plate. "When's the last time you had a bath? You need one, desperately!" She smirked at him and placed a hand on her hip. "Please, this way."

Vegeta stared after her as she walked toward the house. She realized he wasn't behind her and turned her head to look at him. "Well, what? Do you want me to roll out the red carpet?" she snapped. Vegeta growled but momentarily bit his tongue and followed her lead.

"Unreal…" Yamcha muttered in disbelief.

"I hope she knows what she's doing," commented Puar.

"…So that's the guy…" Charisma said slowly, letting the situation sink in as she watched Bulma and Vegeta enter the house. Her eyes traveled back to Yamcha. "He seems nice…I guess…"

Yamcha huffed and shook his head. "You're being sarcastic, huh?"

"…Yes."

"Hey does anyone take lemon?" Mrs. Briefs poured tea into a cup, still completely clueless.

After Vegeta had showered (and Bulma embarrassed him by giving him a pink shirt to wear), the group sat in a table in the backyard as Bulma cooked meat on the grill.

"I can't remember the last time I had barbequed meat," Charisma said happily as she munched on a shish kebab. "It's so yummy."

"No kidding! This is great!" Oolong snorted as he attacked the strips of meat on his plate. "I'm pigging out here!"

Charisma stopped mid bite when she felt a tingle that started in her stomach and rose up to the top of her head. '…it must be a power level I'm sensing…It's been so long since I've felt anything like this. I've never felt anything so strong…'

Vegeta growled and punched the table, effectively startling everyone. "So he failed after all. Freeza's still alive and he's coming."

"Wait!" said Yamcha. "How do you know? Maybe it can be somebody else. Come on!"

"I know!" Vegeta retorted with a scalding tone. "I make it my business to know! Unlike you."

Yamcha stood up off his seat so quickly that it fell back. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Hey Vegeta!" Bulma interrupted this fight, too, looking up from her job of cooking the meat on the grill. "Would you like more barbeque sauce on your spare ribs?"

Everyone stared after her with bewilderment.

"Sure why not…" he grumbled.

"I'm not sure I understand what's going on…" Charisma stated.

Yamcha looked at her sympathetically. "I'm sure you're going to find this all really bizarre…but there's nothing to worry about."

"I'll explain everything later," Bulma said as she turned to her. "It's a long story. You'll see." Bulma turned her attention to Yamcha. "So what are you going to do?"

"We have no other choice," said Yamcha, lowly. "We have to fight…"


	5. Mysterious Stranger

_Author's Note: _Happy New Years and Christmas and whatnot everyone (: Sorry for taking so long for the update. I don't think many people are reading this fanfic anyway ): Oh well, I'm going to keep posting it anyway. I really have high hopes for this.

Anyway enjoy (:

_Chapter 5:_

_Mysterious Stranger_

"So you're going to take Frieza on?" Bulma asked the guys.

"We have no other choice," Yamcha replied lowly.

"Sounds great!" she responded with an excited tone. "Let's go, too, Charisma."

"Absolutely not!" Yamcha scolded her, turning her smile into a frown. "It's too dangerous. You already know how powerful and ruthless Frieza is. We can't put you at risk. Bulma, Puar, and Charisma…You're all staying here."

Before Bulma could argue with that point, Vegeta and Yamcha both took off like rockets into the sky, leaving a cloud of dust behind. The girls were left coughing and Bulma rumbled angrily in frustration. She ran off a few feet to stare after them.

"Who do they think they are?" she demanded with her hands on her hips.

"They can fly, too, huh?" Charisma said.

"Yeah," Bulma turned to her. "It's a long story, like I said. I'll explain everything later. Not sure if you'll even believe me…"

"But you know…I can fly, too…"

Bulma looked at her in disbelief. "You? Seriously? Where in the world did you learn to do that?"

"Well, when I was a child," Charisma explained. "It's been years since I've tried so I don't even know if I can fly like that."

Charisma paused momentarily, trying to focus on lifting herself off the ground. She managed to do so and she reached a good height over the house, until she felt her nerves getting the better of her.

"Wow, you weren't kidding!" Bulma said proudly as she watched Charisma carefully come down to earth.

"Yeah, but it's been so long since I've put it into practice," Charisma said sadly. "I need practice to be sure."

"Well, we'll have to discuss this later," Bulma said quickly. "The guys are already way ahead of us."

"Is Frieza really as terrible as they say?" asked Charisma, feeling sort of bummed out that she'd miss the action. 'I don't think anyone could be as bad as the Androids…'

"Yeah," responded Bulma, coming back to the others. "But…I'm sure we'll be all right. These guys don't look like much, but I promise you they can take on anyone or anything. But…do you really want to go and see it for yourself?"

Charisma's shoulders lifted slightly and she nodded. "It might sound strange, but there's something about this whole thing that sounds interesting…"

"Then let's go!"

Puar gasped and hovered over to Bulma. "But you heard Yamcha! We might get in trouble."

"We're not children!" Bulma shouted into the feline's face, causing her to move away in alarm and toward Charisma. "What is he going to do about it, anyway? I'll go get my plane ready and we might just be able to catch up to them. What do you say?"

Charisma took a final sip of her orange juice and slammed the cup on the table. Lifting up a fist, she grinned. "Let's go for it."

The ladies jumped onto the plane and darted off towards the direction in which the guys had gone. It didn't take too long before they came across their figures down below as they stood amongst a rugged area of land. The men stared up into the sky, looking around with their eyes. The sound of a rumbling engine and spinning propellers caught their attention right away.

"Hello down there!" Bulma shouted as she waved to them cheerfully.

"It's Bulma!" Yamcha proclaimed, in slight shock.

"Vegeta! Yamcha! I'm coming in!" she exclaimed. The plane touched the ground in a small cloud of dirt. Bulma hopped out, followed by Charisma, and Puar giggled happily and flew over to her owner.

"Yamcha!" she joyfully called, just about to reach him.

"What are the three of you doing here?!" he demanded irritably, scaring Puar and causing her to stop before she reached him.

"We came to see Frieza," Charisma declared with her hands on her hips. "I'm curious to see what he looks like. According to Bulma, he's a hunk," she added jokingly.

"Are you crazy?!" asked Yamcha, very aggravated. "Do you know what he'll do if he finds you here?"

Charisma lowered her head slightly, but Bulma just shrugged and spoke casually. "Yes. Of course I do. He'll come down and blow up the planet. But we just want to see him before he does it. What's so wrong with that?"

Charisma nodded and agreed, smiling.

"You're impossible…" Yamcha grumbled, slapping his forehead.

Without another word, Yamcha and Vegeta turned around to see a tall bald man and a little boy land there.

"Tien! Chaotzu!" Yamcha bellowed welcomingly.

Charisma leaned over to Bulma, smiling friendly at the new comers. "Um…more friends?" she whispered.

"More friends for you to meet," Bulma replied with a giggle. "But I guess I'll have to introduce you guys later. Now isn't the best time."

Charisma nodded and looked at them.

"Vegeta," Tien said coarsely, taking off his scarves. He pretty much dismissed the fact that he didn't know that girl that was standing there. "I didn't realize you were going to be here too…"

Vegeta smirked arrogantly. "Is that ok?"

"As a matter of fact, it isn't. You disgust me." Tien finished removing his coat and t shirt until he was only in his green pants and a white tank top. He snarled. "How can you stomach him, Yamcha?"

Vegeta chuckled sadistically. "Wimp…"

"What?!"

"Hey!" Yamcha suddenly blurted, trying to ease the tension in the air. "Cool it guys! This is no time to fight, ok?" Vegeta turned around egotistically with a chuckle.

"…It's Frieza isn't it?" Tien asked slowly. "How long till he lands?"

Yamcha sighed and answered, "Could be any time now…"

"Be quiet!" Vegeta torridly commanded. "Besides…all this scary talk is upsetting the Namek…" he taunted, looking to his right.

"The Namek?" everyone repeated, looking over to the direction Vegeta was staring at.

'Another friend…' Charisma said to herself. 'So then…these are all of Bulma's friends…'

"Piccolo!" Yamcha called to him. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough to hear all of your senseless bickering," he replied. He turned his head to look back. Sure enough, Krillin was heading over with Gohan. They promptly landed and Krillin greeted. "Hey there."

Bulma cheered, jumping up slightly. "Wow! Krillin, Gohan, you made it!"

'Gohan…?' Charisma's face reflected pure shock as her eyes studied the small dark haired boy intently. '…that's Gohan? I can't believe it!" The more she looked him, the harder she found it difficult to suppress her smile. She managed to fight off the urge to grin happily. 'He's so tiny!' Charisma felt her heart fill with warmth. 'I'm so glad I get to see you again…even if you don't know me yet!'

Piccolo suddenly tensed up and looked back at the group. "He's here!"

Simultaneously, they all stared up into the sky and watched as a disk-shaped ship emerged from within a dark storm cloud. Panic fell over everyone instantly and even Charisma could feel that emotion, even though she truly had no comprehension about Frieza's power.

They all stared up with a mix of horror and awe as the ship flew overhead and enveloped them momentarily in a shadow.

'Incredible…' she thought. 'I've felt anything like this before…so much power, I'm not used to feeling like this…'

"He's landed…just over that ridge!" announced Krillin.

It was silent for a while and all eyes were glued to the direction in which the flying machine had gone off to, trembling with fear.

"Now, there's no room for mistakes!" bellowed Vegeta, his cruel voice ripping through the stillness. "We've all got to keep our power levels suppressed or else Freeza will pick us up on his scouters."

"This is crazy!" Yamcha suddenly blurted. "I've never felt anything close to the power I'm sensing right now!"

Understanding that they really had no other choice, the gang was ready to head off to take Frieza on. At least, that was what Charisma could make of the argument that ensued between the men. Truthfully, she wasn't necessarily sure about what was going on or just what kind of situation she'd gotten herself into.

'I think I'm too curious for my own good,' she though as she carefully snuck about the barren land behind the others. Bulma, of course, needed a little help climbing over rocks and small cliffside, and was assisted by Yamcha. Charisma wasn't doing too badly, however, as all her training in her time prepared her for situations like this.

A short while after beginning their rock climb, another surprise awaited them. Having breathed a sigh of relief once her feet were on safe and non-crumbling ground, Charisma felt the pit of her stomach tingle even more than it had before.

'I feel something again…' Charisma thought as she looked up at the sky. 'It's almost making me dizzy…' She glanced around and saw the looks on each and everyone's faces. 'They must feel it, too…'

"Guys," Bulma said slowly. "What's going on?"

"I'm sensing another huge power level," Krillin said nervously.

"…And this one makes Frieza's seem like nothing!" Tien added.

The ground beneath them rumbled and trembled violently and unexpectedly, sending Bulma and Charisma to the ground on their bottoms. The men managed to stay on their feet but remained still in shock and nearly speechless.

"Looks like the fight is starting without us," commented Yamcha.

"It might be my dad…" said Gohan.

"You think?" asked Krillin.

"Who else would try to take on Freeza alone?"

Without warning, Vegeta growled and took off running toward the direction of the blast.

"What's wrong with him now?" demanded Yamcha. He watched as the other guys began following along, except for Bulma, Charisma and Puar that is. Shrugging in defeat, Yamcha ran off behind them as well.

"Wait!" Charisma yelled at them, running a bit, but soon giving up. "What about us?!" She sighed and her face fell with a frown. She looked back at Bulma and Puar.

"How can they just leave me behind like that?" Bulma asked rhetorically.

"Does this mean we can go now?" Puar posed hopefully.

"We can't," announced Charisma with her hands on her hips. "I feel that power…I feel that power that they feel! Something tells me I have to find out who that is. We can't just turn back now. Things are starting to get interesting! Don't you think, Bulma?"

"Exactly!" Bulma agreed. "I really like your attitude, you know? You're not one to taking this sitting down…"

Charisma looked at her quizzically. "What do you mean?"

"I'm talking about the guys," Bulma explained. "They don't think we can keep up just because we're girls. They think they can ditch us _because_ we're girls! Well, we'll show them what these girls can do! Those boys better watch out, because here we come!" She laughed manically, and began running like mad, grabbing on to Charisma's arm with one hand and latching on to Puar's tail with the other. "Come on! We'll teach those guys not to run off and leave us!"

Somehow, the girls were able to catch up to the others relatively soon. They found them all perched carefully on the stony ledges, watching as much of the battle unfold.

"What's going on?" asked Bulma, grabbing on to Yamcha. "I can't see!" There was dust all around the land a few miles across. "What happened over there, Yamcha?"

Before anyone could say anything, a red orb of energy suddenly appeared and lit up the area brightly. It slowly began to descend upon the distant land. Krillin gasped and turned around. "Everyone get down!"

Without thinking twice, everyone threw themselves onto the ground, shielding their eyes and head. The sound of a loud explosion startled Charisma more than she expected. She was beginning to get flashbacks of her life above the surface of the bunker. It had been months since she'd heard the sound of an explosion. Even buried deep underground in their bunkers, the sounds of explosions and feeling of the earth trembling from the Androids nearby were very common amongst the residents. There was always an overwhelming sense of fear that somehow the Androids would discover their safe house and that it'd all be over.

'No one can possibly be worse than the Androids, can they?' she thought as she shut her eyes tightly.

"Hey!" Bulma's whispering voice said. Charisma carefully lifted her head and looked at her. "It's all right now…"

Charisma looked up and noticed that everyone else had stood up already. Feeling a little embarrassed, Charisma rose to her feet as well, slightly shaken. She felt that power closer than ever and looked up at the sky.

Charisma couldn't see any of the figures very clearly. 'Is that him?'

"It's another guy!" Gohan said. "…what just happened?"

"He…beat Frieza!" Vegeta stuttered in shock. "…Effortlessly…but…who is he?!"

"Who knows…?" replied Krillin. "Let's just hope he's on our side…"

"Maybe it's Goku," said Bulma. "He has a knack for showing up at just the right time." She sighed and joined her hands.

"No, it's not Goku," Yamcha clarified with his eyes fixed on the two figures up in the sky. "No way…but he's definitely a Super Saiyan."

Once again, Vegeta bolted away, taking flight this time. Piccolo followed, and soon everyone followed as well. Yamcha was about to take flight, as well, but Bulma latched on to him.

"Hold it, buddy boy!" she announced wrapping her arms around his neck. "I'm not being left behind again!"

"I'm not very confident in my own skills, yet," Charisma said ecstatically, jumping onto his back. "Sorry, but I'm going to need a lift, too. I hope I'm not too heavy!"

Yamcha sighed and prayed that he wouldn't fall over, mustering up all his strength. Thankfully, though, Charisma mustn't have weighed much above 100 pounds. He slowly levitated and Charisma gasped. "Look at the view!"

Bulma giggled and wiggled around. "Stop moving!" Yamcha scolded her, Puar following them close behind.

They flew above just in time to see the young stranger blast Frieza's father away, impaling him directly through the chest. The huge and menacing looking monster was shot at once more and reduced to nothing but a cloud of smoke. The Super Saiyan turned towards the ship in which Frieza had come and demolished with a powerful ki blast.

"Wow…" Krillin said impressed and at the same time shocked. "Just like that…they're gone…Let's just hope he doesn't decide to come after us…"

The Super Saiyan powered down and became just a regular human-like Saiyan. He sighed, as if relieved at having completed his task, and stared down at the empty land where the ship once stood. Having noticed their presence, he turned around and looked at the crowd of people floating behind him.

Charisma carefully struggled to look over Yamcha's shoulder. She caught sight of lavender hair and blue eyes. "…Wait a second…" she whispered to herself when she got a good look at him. "…He looks somehow…familiar…"

"I'm heading off to a place near here to meet Goku," he announced to them. "He'll be here in three hours." Aside from being so surprised out of their minds, now they were confused, too.

"What?" asked Gohan in shock.

"Follow me if you'd like," the stranger called to them. "Don't worry, I won't bite. It's this way." He turned around and took flight.

Charisma stared after him with a quizzical yet thoughtful gaze. Bulma noticed this and tapped Charisma's shoulder. "Is something wrong?"

"No…" Charisma said slowly. 'I just…wonder who he is…'

Sure enough, they followed the mysterious young man a few miles from where they had first seen him. Once they landed in an open area, an intense feeling of fear, uncertainty, and distrust filled the air.

Charisma remained partially hidden behind Yamcha. She peeked around him to curiously observe the young man as he reached into his denim jacket's pocket. He grabbed what appeared to be a capsule and tossed it on the ground. When it burst and the smoke dispersed, a small machine appeared on the ground.

Yamcha stood alarmed. "Look out you guys! He's up to something!"

It appeared to be a fridge, actually, and the boy opened it and pulled out a can, turning to the others. "How about a cold drink?" he offered graciously. "Goku's not due to arrive for two more hours."

The gang stared at him with bewilderment. It seemed so bizarre and even too good to be true that this super powerful stranger appeared to be so friendly.

"Well, I don't see why not," Bulma announced with a smile, beginning to approach him.

"Yeah!" agree Gohan, running over there.

"Wait!" called Krillin. "Gohan! Bulma!"

"Chill out, Krillin," Bulma said. "They're just sodas."

The trio headed over to the fridge. "Wow," Gohan said with a smile. "What a great selection!"

"I think I'm starting to like this guy," Bulma said. Sure enough, the powers of peer pressure and thirst proved too much for Krillin, and he soon approached and joined in on enjoying the drinks.

Bulma looked back at Charisma who remained half hidden behind Yamcha. She suppressed a chuckle and waved at her to come over. "Hey! Why are you being so shy all of a sudden? Come on!"

Charisma stumbled over awkwardly as she tried her best to not gawk at the lavender haired boy. "…no reason…"

"Here! Take one!" Bulma grabbed a random can of soda and placed it in Charisma's small hands.

Charisma looked up from the fridge and studied the guy up and down. She couldn't stop herself from gawking anymore. Her mind fumbled to piece together her memories, but she couldn't come up with anything. His eyes fell upon her as well, and she slowly approached him with a thoughtful look and a finger on her lips.

'Something tells me…' she thought. 'I have to find out who you are…'

'She's making me feel a little uncomfortable…' he thought, breaking the gaze awkwardly. Purple bangs shielded his eyes but failed to shield his pink cheeks. '…At the same time, I feel a sense of déjà vu.'

"…have we met somewhere?" she finally spoke up, a little nervous and hoping she wouldn't come off as weird.

"…I don't think so," he replied, still blushing and avoiding her gaze.

Charisma looked up at him with big blue eyes, glossy with the curiosity of a child. 'Oh, why is he blushing…?' she wondered. 'It's…kind of cute…'

Charisma giggled and shook her head as she sighed and took a sip of her soda. "I'm sorry if I'm making you uncomfortable."

The boy shook his head, his cheeks still red. The sound of her laughter made him uneasy for some reason. "Don't worry about it. I think you have me mistaken for somebody else…"

Charisma shrugged thoughtfully. "Probably…" She smiled brightly at him. "In any case, it's nice to meet you! I don't think you're not scary at all unlike these guys." She gestured at the quivering group behind her.

He found it difficult to suppress a smile but before he could say anything, Gohan called to him. "Hey mister," he asked. "How do you know my dad?"

"Actually, I don't know him," he explained. "I've only just heard of him."

"Then how do you know that he's gonna arrive here in two hours?" asked Krillin.

"Well…" the boy looked down. "I'm sorry…but I can't say…"

"Why not?" Vegeta asked, still with that attitude of his. "I'll tell you why. Because you're up to something. Tell us now, tough guy. Who are you?"

The boy looked at Vegeta with wide eyes, but then turned his head down and stared at the ground. "I wish I could…sorry…"

It became silent for a while again, until Bulma noticed the patch on the boy's jacket. "Hey," she said. "You've got our logo on your jacket. That's my dad's company. Are you one of our employees?"

The boy finally looked up at her. "No, not exactly…just a fan."

"Oh," said Bulma. "I see. Well, tell me your name and I'll recommend you to my dad."

"I…can't do that…I'm sorry I know it's strange…" His gaze fell to the ground again.

"Why all the secrecy?" Tien taunted.

"Yeah," joined Yamcha. "There's something funny about this guy. I don't trust him."

"Knock it off, you guys!" Bulma rebuked them. "You're all jealous." She gestured toward the boy with a smile. "This guy beat Frieza single handedly. So there!"

Bulma turned toward the boy with a friendly wink. He blushed yet again and cast his eyes to the ground shyly.

Minutes later, everyone either sat on their own rock, on the ground, or just stood around like statues, totally bored out of their minds. The boy sat across the way from Vegeta, gazing over at him curiously every now and then.

Charisma sat quietly on a rock beside Bulma. She kept ogling at the boy from behind her blonde bangs. 'Why can't I stop staring?'

"Um…miss…" Gohan called to her as he approached. Charisma was deep in thought as she concentrated on the boy. "Miss?"

Charisma gasped and looked over at Gohan. She smiled sweetly and cocked her head to the side. 'It's Gohan! It feels so strange…'

Shushing her inner monologue, she responded. "Yes?"

"I don't think I've seen you before," he said. "Are you a friend of Bulma's?"

"Yes," she explained. "We've only just met so I haven't gotten introduced to all of her friends yet. My name is Charisma. And you're…Gohan, am I right?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "It's nice to meet you!"

"It's nice to meet you too, Gohan." Charisma grinned and relaxed her body, stretching out her legs a little more on the rock. 'Always polite and friendly…just as I remember him…'

Gohan turned around and approached Piccolo, who stood across the way, with his back toward the people and staring off into the other direction.

"Hey," Bulma whispered to Krillin. "Check this out…is it me, or do those two kind of look alike?"

Charisma's ears picked up those words and she looked over to see if it was true. "Well, now that you mention it," Krillin said thoughtfully. "…I do kind of see the resemblance…Well just in looks…" He looked at Vegeta and the boy. "That other guy seems pretty nice…but Vegeta has the personality of a stump."

"Well, he's a prince," explained Bulma.

"So what?"

"Princes have to act bored, like the world isn't good enough for them."

"I've never seen a prince up close before!" Charisma blurted out loudly, catching everyone's attention. She quickly covered her mouth and exchanged a glance with Bulma. "Oops…"

Bulma gave her a funny grin and chuckled.

Time went by slowly, and the fact that the sun was beating on them at full force wasn't helping the situation. Everyone remained silent, bored out of their minds…again…

Charisma still couldn't keep her eyes off the new guy. She spent the last hour or so scouring the depths of her memories, almost enough to cause a short circuit.

'Maybe I really am confusing him with someone else,' she finally thought. 'After all, what are the chances of me having recognized anyone from so long ago? I've only been here a few months…it's not like I wouldn't have remembered him if that were the case.'

The boy looked down at his watch and then stood up. "That's it. Two hours have passed. Goku should be arriving any second now."

Bulma stood up. "Really?" she asked brightly.

All eyes once again lifted toward the blue skies. "He's coming!" said Krillin.

"Man, that guy was right after all!" said Yamcha.

"It's true!" Gohan said brightly, chuckling happily. "My dad's back!" The gang continued staring up at the sky, until a light shone from up above, kind of like a star.

The 'star' shot out of the sky like a comet and hit the ground a few hundred feet away. Krillin laughed playfully. "Last one there is a rotten egg!"

"Wait for me!" Bulma shouted. They all took off toward that direction and stopped when they came to a huge crater. Now, they stood in silence, staring at the little round vehicle. The door slowly opened, and sure enough, Goku emerged.

"Hi guys," he greeted, surprised to see them all there. Nonetheless, they cheered happily. He was finally home. "How did you guys know that I was coming?" he asked, floating up out of the hole.

After having explained the situation, the stranger finally spoke up. "Goku, could I have a word with you?"

"With me?"

"Yes. Just the two of us."

The others gasped and eyed him shockingly. Goku became serious. "All right then." They both began to walk away.

"Wait!" called Yamcha. "What exactly is this guy trying to say?!"

"It's ok, guys," he waved to them. "I'll be right back."

They took flight and landed a distance away, far enough to be out of earshot…for most of them, that is.

From what could be seen, the boy had challenged Goku and they both became Super Saiyan. It was a simple and quick battle, or rather more of a show of skill. Soon after, the two powered down and began talking before the boy flew off. Now that Goku was alone, the gang approached him.

"Daddy!" Gohan called to him.

"Hey, Goku!" said Krillin. "So, what did that guy say?"

Goku scratched the back of his head, fumbling for words. "Well…um…Nothing important, really…"

"That's funny," said Piccolo. "It all sounded pretty important to me…"

Goku looked over to him and stuttered. "Oh, really? You…heard it all?"

"My ears do more than just frame my face, you know, Goku."

"Oh come on!" Bulma protested. "What's so important that you can't tell us, Goku?"

"Well…I can't really say…" he said slowly.

"All right," announced Piccolo. "But if you won't, then I will…"

Goku turned to him, wide eyed. "My gosh, but you heard!"

"Don't worry, Goku. But I won't say anything that will endanger your friend." He turned to face the dark haired Saiyan. "But listen. We deserve a chance to change our destinies." Everyone gasped at the sentence. "All of us…not just him…"

Moments later, Piccolo finished explaining the situation. Charisma stood there with her eyes wider than anyone.

'I can't…even wrap my mind around this!' she thought, her memories of her life replayed over and over like an old scratched record. '…It's just as I thought…the Androids are going to appear soon, too. I can't escape it…no matter what…I can't escape…'

Charisma felt her knees grow weak. 'On top of that…he's from the future?! What in the world is going on? How did something like this happened? I don't get it…I don't understand anything! But…maybe that means there's hope for me in going back home?'

Gohan caught a glimpse of something in the distance above and gasped.

"Look! There he is!" said Yamcha.

He was sitting in his time machine, floating above in space, and waving to everyone.

'A boy from the future, just like me…' Charisma reasoned as she looked up at him. 'I have to talk to him! He's the only one who can help me now.'

At last, the boy disappeared into the atmosphere. Just like that, he was gone.

Charisma's eyes became gloomy as she lowered her head. A glimmer of hope shone in her eyes for a second, if only a brief moment as she began to truly analyze the gravity of her situation. Maybe going back to her timeline would be more difficult that she had expected.

She lifted her head and looked toward the sky. 'Please…come back soon…'


End file.
